Fat Shot Golf Drill: Mark Ball Position with Tee to See Your Divot

Beginning golfers sometimes aren’t sure if they’ve hit a fat shot. While it’s usually obvious when striking the ground an inch or more behind the ball, closer misses can leave you guessing.

Here’s an easy tip to use on the driving range. It will let you know exactly where the club hit the ground in relation to the ball:

Place a tee flat on the ground a few inches outside your ball, with the tip of the tee pointing directly at the back edge of the bottom of the ball.

Hit your shot and check the divot’s position relative to the tee.

If the divot starts behind the tee, you hit the ball fat.

If the divot starts directly in line with the tee or slightly in front of it, your contact point was correct.

If you find that you’re hitting a lot of fat shots, focus on shifting your weight laterally, toward the target, on the downswing. The most common cause of fat shots is a failure to transfer weight from the right side to the left (for right-handers) coming into the ball.